CSA Becomes More Creative – Crates Of Locally-Made Art Now Delivered To Subscribers

For years, the organic communities have figured a way to sell their crops to Americans across the United States without having to use the middleman of conventional grocery stores. Spurned by the popularity of crate subscription services, they created something known as community-supported agriculture, or CSA. Through CSA, not only are organic farmers able to compete against big-name conventional farming, but organic consumers are able to get a viable bounty of crops guaranteed to be organic and GMO-free.

Because CSA truly helps one part of local communities, it has catalyzed in helping another part: art. As a result, the CSA movement has now extended to local artists able to sell their works to those who want something original without having to go through the expensive middleman of a gallery or museum.

According to The New York Times, the CSA for art – which also goes by the same abbreviation since it is known as community-supported art – was first started in Minnesota, four years ago. The concept proved to work well for art lover causing other cities to support CSA. Cities like Pittsburgh, Miami, Brooklyn, Lincoln, and Fargo are some places that are on board for the CSA movement.

Blaine Siegel, an CSA organizer, presents local art by Alexi Morrissey to a shareholder.

To analyze specifics, CSA technically helps emerging artists and amateur art enthusiasts. With galleries and museums, artists often require an exclusive membership which is usually offered if said artist is popular. Not only that, its buyer base is often individuals set in a higher pay bracket. Therefore, CSA gives a workable platform for emerging artists while giving art enthusiasts the ability to purchase originals at a convenient cost. Dayna Del Val, executive director of the Arts Partnership in Fargo, details such for the New York Times.

“A lot of our people who bought shares have virtually no real experience with contemporary art. They’re going to a big-box store and buying prints of Monet’s ‘Water Lilies,’ if they have anything.”

Subscription services for CSA often vary between $150 to $800 depending on area. Yet, that is a great deal for original work since $800 is usually a fraction of the price of most art pieces in galleries. Also, CSA provides not just one piece but a sampling of art which may include paintings, limited-edition prints, textiles, fine art photographs, and sculptures. In conclusion, Quartz reported it best when they utilized a quote from one of the CSA subscribers.